...then snow again.

Ok, I have officially had it.   I am done with snow, I am ready for spring.  Seriously....haven't we had enough for one year?  This is today:

I didn't post about my terrible drive home last Friday, because it made me so mad.....  The snow came up quickly, the winds blew and the roads iced over right at the same I was leaving work.   The car I have been driving for the last several years has always been great in the snow and I love the ABS brakes and the TCS (traction control system) but for some reason, it all failed me on Friday's drive home.   On the downhill approach to a main drag near work, I literally stood up on my brakes, feeling the ABS vibrating through my whole body, but it was not enough to stop my car (which had been going about 1 mile an hour with plenty of distance in front of me) from sliding into and "bumping" the SUV in front of me.  Fortunately it didn't even scratch the other car, and my only damage was a bent up license plate and a couple of scratches on the bumper (think about the word bumper: isn't that what it is for????)  I exchanged info with the other driver, but it was so minor, that I tried to forget about it right away. (Sorry, Mom, I didn't tell you because you would worry)

After clearing the intersection, with the jelly knees that I get from this kind of stress, traffic was traveling so slowly that I came to a stop, but now I was heading UP an incline and the car refused to gain traction and make any forward progress when traffic cleared in front of me.   I kept putting it in gear, tried 2nd gear and all I could do was spin my wheels.    On came the emergency flashers again, and the emergency brake. And I sat there a couple of minutes watching other cars scoot around me giving me dirty looks, and I waited.   Of course, rush hour was just starting, so I didn't think I could wait it out completely, so off came the emergency brake, and into 1st gear I went again, but I was only able to go inches....  I had about 50 yards to get to the crest of the hill (I didn't even realized it was a hill till I was stuck on it!)

This went on for about 25 minutes cycling through trying to make it up the hill and sitting there, hoping no one would hit me.  I nearly called 911 to warn them that I was a hazard on the road, and I didn't want to cause an accident, but I didn't.    Finally, I was able to get up this small hill, and the rest of the ride home was slow but uneventful.   Except for my ABS light and the TCS light which were stuck on.   Did I mention that I only live 3 miles from work and the ride which normally takes 12 minutes, lasted an hour on this evening.

The next day, everything melted, the roads were dry, and sun shone.   Off to the dealer I went, because the lights were still on, and then they suddenly turned off, but the bottom line was that the car now has 4 new tires and a new front end alignment.  

Just in time for today's snowstorm.    Luckily, I was home safe and sound before it started this time.

Front Yard Glacier

I WANT SPRING TO COME!!!!!

This is 55 grams or about 1.7 oz of the handspun yarn from my Naked Fiber shipment.  It is two ply and light worsted weight, and I didn't measure the yardage.  Photographed on fresh snow in the front yard.

I am so ready for spring to arrive that I can taste it.  It seems to be snowing every few days and I am curious where our average of 300 days of sun have gone.   At least today, there was some melting and the streets are dry, but my infamous sidewalk has built up another thick layer of ice.   I bet it is there until June at this rate!   Send me some global warming for a little while......   and send some to the east coast, too, but the snow can keep falling in Vancouver for the finish of the games.

Here is the next shipment of the fiber club, silver Romney.   See how pretty the crimp is!    I am trying not to open the inner plastic yet, because I have a lot of fiber which has to come first.   I am so tempted though......

This is for you, Becky!

Signs of green and life in the garden. These are the heirloom iris sent to me last fall from Becky of Needles of Iron fame. No guarantees of blooms this first year, but they seem to all have survived their first winter in my garden.

Extreme closeup of some grape hyacinth. No matter what I do, I can't get rid of them, and they just keep multiplying all over. It is the first real color each year, but what a mess in about a month as I try to plant my annuals in the same beds.

Looks like the honey bee appreciates the color as well!

More snow today

Look at the calendar and what does it say: April 17, nearly a month since the first day of spring. Whoever said that March roars in like a lion and out like a lamb didn't live in Colorado in the Springtime.

My last posting which included photos of my Grandma's legacy of beautiful knitting garnered more comments than any of my other postings since I began this adventure more than a year ago. Since I am in possession of many of her heirloom pieces, I think I will periodically share them with you, much in the way that Brenda Dayne has her "Today's Sweater" segment on her Cast-On Podcast. Today I will share a photo of Grandma herself, along with the rest of my mother's side of the family at my wedding.

Please note the flowers in my hair, the dress that required me to be bra-less, my brother's long dark hair (still on top of his head) and the beard. Can you guess what year it is?

.........................................Time's up: 1975!!!!! Grandma is seated next to Gary, and believe it or not, she actually knit her two piece dress. I bet the yarn is sock weight and it was knit on a 1 or 2 size needle! I still have the top and you cannot really see it in the photo, but there is sequin trim around the neckline and the hem of the sleeves. Incredible.

Just getting the album out makes me somewhat misty, because so many of the faces are gone now, but never forgotten. Seated: my grandparents, (David and Yetta Siegelbaum), Top left: Uncle Timmy (Stanley Rosenberg), Top, second from right: Cousin Linda Rosenberg and my Dad, Stanley Botkin, behind me. It was 2 years ago this week that Dad passed away, hard as that is to believe for those of us for whom his presence is always felt.

I was incredibly fortunate to have all four of my grandparents at my wedding and it makes me sad to know that my girls will not have this honor whenever their turn comes up. (No rush, girls, really!) Rounding out the rest of the living family in the photo are my Aunt Jean: top right, Cousin Richard: top row, 2nd from left, Mom: next to Dad, and my brother next to Mom. And you can tell which the bride and groom are! We have all aged a little (!!!) since then but isn't it special when we can remember the moments and the faces and spirit of family together for a happy occasion.

A Non Fiber Post

I miss spring. I miss warm weather and sunshine. I miss my garden and its many wonders which change through 3 seasons a year. Here are some photos of some indoor blooming which I am pretty proud of.

First is an Orchid I purchased at Costco 4 years ago and I have been able to keep it alive and blooming a couple of times a year since then. It is such a lovely shade of fuschia which makes me happy to see in the sunshine of my bay window.

When I purchased it, there were 3 stems blooming and in the subsequent years I have had as many as 7 stems with about 40 blooms on it at a time. It is grossly potbound and now there is only one stem blooming and new flower bud growth on 2 other stems. I am afraid to repot it....I don't want to stress it or kill it. It has been a faithful friend for a long time. I might just wait until this round of blooms is done to try it, but I will have to shop for just the right orchid pot that is only about 2 inches wider in diameter than the 6" pot it is in now. I think I will start looking now to be ready after the last bloom of this cycle drops, which should be in March or April at this rate.

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This is an orchid in a 4" pot that I purchased around Thanksgiving at a really good price at the local supermarket. I was feeling pretty down at this particular holiday, because it is just not the same preparing such a feast for only a few people. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday to cook for because I have a set menu and my turkey stuffing rocks. But without my Dad and with the kids not home, it is difficult enough at holiday times and it is hard to set a festive table for three people when the table is rectangular. Luckily a friend joined us for the fourth. I saved so much money on the turkey this year that I sprung for this orchid which is creamy yellow and pink. What pleases me is that even though it has dropped one blossom since I brought it home, it is happy on my kitchen table and is starting to grow some new buds!!! See them???

At least I have some color inside the house when the outside view out my front door looks like a glacier (north facing) and brown grass.